Practice device for golf and like outdoor games.



L. S. GATES.

PRACTICE DEVICE FOR. GOLF AND LIKE OUTDOOR GAMES.

. Patented Mar. 6, 1917."

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5, [916.

lm/enfar: g j a UNITED STATES LEON S. GATES, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

PRACTICE DEVICE FOR GOLF AND LIKE OUTDOOR GAMES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

Application filed October 5, 1916. Serial N 0. 123,893. v

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON S. GATEs, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton andState of Ohio, have-invented a certain new and useful Improvement inPractice Devices for Golf and like Outdoor Games, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to golf-practice devices inwhich the ball is usedin-doors or in places of limited space and not convenient to the linksor field where the game itself is played. 7 i

The device comprises a pyramidal-shape sack or receptacle made of canvasor the like that is stretched over a suitable skeleton-frame and ismounted for use on a foldable wooden frame, such receptacle beingarranged so that its open base shall be vertical and with its vertexextended rearwardly for stretched-connection with an up wardly-extendingarm from said wooden frame and so that the ball, when driven into thereceptacle from a distant point can readily return to the player forrapid continuous shots and to enlarge his scope of practice thereby.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective viewshowing the device as it appears ready for use; Fig. 2, a perspectiveview of the wooden frame that is adapted to hold or support the practicesack or receptacle in position for use; Fig. 3, a fragmentaryperspective of the foreend of the longitudinal-bar that forms a part ofthe said wooden supporting-frame for the sack; and Fig. 4, a fragmentaryperspective of the transverse-bar of said supporting-frame, showninverted and with the recess therein for the reception of said fore-endof the longitudinal-bar seen in Fig. 3. u

The pyramidal-shape sack or receptacle.

is made up of four corresponding triangular sides of canvas or otherlike fabric, such sides being indicated by the numerals 1, 1 for thevertical side-walls, 2 for the bottom and 3 for the top, all of themconverging in the vertex 4, the latter having extended therefrom aknotted-cord 5. The four canvas sides are suitably stitched or seamedalong their corners or longitudinal angles, and have wires or ropesstretched through the fore-edges of the bottom 2 and top 3, suchfore-edges having fringe 6 for the desired finish. Along the fore-edgesof the two vertical sides 1, I provide light bamboo poles or sticks 7that are duly attached in place and serve to suitably stretch the openmouth of the receptacle Whenin use. In use, the said sack is placed inthe position shown in Fig. 1, with the open base of the pyramid verticaland the vertex held taut by means of the knotted-extension 5 whichengages a tilted bar or stake 8, the latter being preferably hinged atits lower end to a longitudinal base-bar 9 and has a slit 10 at itsupper end for the engagement of said knotted-extension 5, for readydetachment. A girdling-strap ll is provided for the tilted stake or bar8, its buckle allowing for any depressing of the stake 8 that may benecessary in stretching the pointed end of the sack or receptacle tautfor use. p

12 indicates a transverse-bar that forms a part of the supporting-basefor the said sack. This bar 12 has at its center an under-recess 13 thatis somewhat tapered for the engagement of the tapered fore-end 14 of thelongitudinal-bar 9, a metal plate 15- being bridged across the entranceto said recess 18 for holding the fore-end of said bar 9 in substantialengagement with, the

' transverse-bar 12 in order to provide a subverse-bar 12 I provide ahinged upright arm or bar 16 that has pivotal-props 17', the latterbeing pivotally-connected at their upper ends to the uprlght-arms 16 bymeans of screws or pins 18 and having pointed lower ends that abut theraised edges of the plates 19. when the device is in use and can bereadily released when it is desired to drop or fold said upright-arms'16 upon the transverse-bar 12, especially when the device is to befolded or packed into small compass for storage, shipping, carrying, orthe like.

At the upper ends of the said uprightarms 16 I provideoutwardly-disposed hooks .20 that are adapted to engage rings 21 on thebamboo-poles 7 of the receptacle and to firmly hold said bamboo-polesupright, as well as the open mouth of the'receptacle in stanch positionfor use.

The rings 21 are readily detached from v the hooks 20 when it is desiredto remove the receptacle from its supporting-base, and the rear stake ormember 8 of the supporting--- frame is adapted to be hinged forwardly,upon the longitudin al-bar 9 when the strap 11 has been released, andthe knotted-extension also released from the stake when it is desired tofold the supporting-frame at the time the device is not in use. Andstill further, the fore-end of the longitudinalbar 9 is readily releasedfrom the recess or socket provided in the under-center of thetransverse-bar 12 so that when the uprightarms 16 are folded upon saidtransverse-bar 12 and the props 17 are folded lengthwise along saidtransverse-bar 12, the longitudinal bar 9 can be readily laid upon thenow folded arm 16 and then the bamboo-stretchers 7 of the sack can befolded with the sack so that latter and its contents can be folded intosmall compass and laid upon said longitudinal-bar 9. The Whole can nowbe bound together by straps or ropes to suit the purposes of the userandin the manner in which he chooses to inclose the bundle. The straps 22are used to prevent the upright-arms 16 unduly hinging outwardly when inuse and to relieve strain on the rings 21. n

In use, the bottom 2 of the sack can be arranged at the desiredinclination so that the ball, when driven into it, can readily return tothe feet of the player whose distance from the device can be regulatedto suit the practice he desires, the invention being to improve his aimand delivery, and the mouth of thereceptacle being of such size as tosuit the desired practice and the distance the ball is to be driven.

In the useof my device it will bereadily seen that the sack orreceptacle forms an open-mouthed target whose sides are made 1,21s,seo

somewhat resilient under strained tension and thereby provide for thecushioning of the driven ball on landing in the sack and the automaticrebound orreturn of said driven ball to the player.

1. A. golf-practice device comprising a pyramidal-shaped collapsiblesack or receptacle having a suitably stretched or expanding front endfor the reception and auto-' matic return of the practice-ball, andmeans for adjustably and removably supporting said receptacle inposition for use so that one of the walls is forwardly and down= wardlyinclined.

2. A golf-practice device comprising a col-= ,lapsible target sack orreceptacle having an open-mouthed, suitably extended fore-end and apointed rear-end or vertex, an attaching-cord extended from said vertex,a longitudinal base-member having at its rearend a tilted pivotal-stakewith which said attaching-cord is engaged and placed understraining-tension, a transverse base-member with which the fore-end ofsaid longitudinal base-member is. adapted to detachably-engage in use,upright pivotal-members at the

